Khmer Voices

I, Khmer Voices host, Vanny Whitchelo share my story in this solo episode.  I talk about how my family moved around a lot in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada -- four times by the time I was in grade 8, my struggle to feel a sense of belonging, my career paths, and how Khmer Voices came to be. You'll also hear a voice note from a new listener, which he has approved for sharing.  Thank you for listeni...

Chad Sammeth is a Khmer American who has been involved in the Cambodian community over the last two decades - primarily in Long Beach, California's Cambodia Town. This started in his early twenties whilst seeking to discover and reconnect with his Cambodian heritage and roots.  This episode briefly covers his journey from IT to marketing, and focuses on the influential people that shaped him,...

When Savanrith (Savan) Kong attended Lakeside School, a prestigious private school with famous alumni such as Bill Gates and Paul Allen, he entered a world he only saw on television.  In this episode, while exploring the theme of privilege, Savan also notes that luck sometimes comes into play, and grit. He talks about the limited access to resources and people his Khmer friends had compared to tho...

Hervé Ky is a second generation French Cambodian born and raised in a suburb of Paris, France. He is the Co-Founder of Keybento, a home exchange platform that caters to families, providing them with affordable family-friendly accommodations.  Hervé shares how his parents pushed him and his two sisters to excel in school, and how he had a difficult time getting a finance job in London, England beca...

Ryan Samn is an Asian American writer, educator, and cultural practitioner. Ryan also runs the Instagram account @allthingscambodian where he shares impactful and insightful posts on Cambodian culture exploring themes of culture, identity, and language. In this episode, Ryan shares his career journey from starting as an English language instructor in Faa'a Tahiti, French Polynesia to now a Co...

Sopheaktra Heang (aka Peter) is a Khmer Canadian who was born in a Thai refugee camp. He moved around a lot in his childhood and didn’t establish roots until he was an adult.  Like many of us koun Khmer, his parents are survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide; this along with other emotionally and psychologically traumatic events in his childhood greatly affected him. He was in with the wrong crowd,...

Author of A Dozen Delicious Donuts: A Sweet Cambodian American Story, Chanda Ouk Wolf has loved reading for as long as she can remember, but growing up in the United States, she never came across stories that gave her a sense of who she is as a Cambodian American.  Chanda grew up in Long Beach, California and later Lowell, Massachusetts, both home to the two largest Khmer communities in the US.  ...

Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Cheata Nao is a second generation Khmer Canadian who is pursuing a new career showcasing Cambodian cuisine.  She has always been a good cook and loved hosting dinner parties since she was a teenager, but back then she was focused on learning how to master western dishes. It wasn’t until she moved away for university that she really missed her mom’s Cambodian c...

Heng Vay is a second generation Khmer American who was born in Los Angeles, Calfornia, spent his early teenage years in Minnesota, and then moved to Texas where he currently resides with his wife and two children.  At the age of 14, Heng’s parents arranged a marriage for him. And guess what? Over 20 years later, they’re still together! Heng and his wife owned and operated a donut shop for 10 years...

Rothany Sar is a first generation Khmer American who arrived in the United States via an arranged marriage. The Cambodian community here often said to her she was “so lucky” and her life was like that of a princess. But she didn’t identify with either of those labels. Was she lucky? Why didn’t she accept being a “princess?” Rothany was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. In 1992, when she was 6 ye...

Mitchell Keo is a second generation Khmer American born and raised in Houston, Texas. He grew up in a Mexican neighbourhood, and never felt a connection to a community growing up. He started exploring his Asian American identity while studying biology at University of Texas at Austin. Today, Mitchell works as a software engineer and credits his love for books and Sokha, owner of Mam's Booksto...

Keo Sar is one of 6 children in his family. At a young age, his father who was the breadwinner got injured at work which resulted in him going on disability. To bridge the gap between disability cheques, he, his older brother, and their father would wake up early to dig in people's trash bins for cans before school started. Back then, recycling and garbage weren't separated! Kids at scho...

Channy Salazar is a strong, resilient, and tenacious lady from Texas, USA. She was born in Cambodia in 1973 and remembers bits and pieces of her time before arriving and settling in the US. Her recollections (at the 4 minute mark and lasting about 1 minute) are traumatic.  Life wasn't easy growing up, but she had the love and support of her parents and grandparents. They instilled in her the...

Sokha Mov shares her journey from being born in a refugee camp in Thailand to growing up in France where she was the only Asian in her class, navigating cultural identity, and pursuing a career in law and public service. She discusses her transition to Cambodia, the challenges of adapting to life there even though she’s koun Khmer and she speaks the language with good fluency. She’s currently work...

Dimary (aka Mary) Leak didn't know how to speak English when she started kindergarten. A non-satisfactory test score in grade 1 ignited her desire to perform well academically, which she did all through primary and secondary school. When it came time to decide on a career however, she didn't have a clear direction or vision, and life went on. In this episode, we talk about Mary's pi...

Growing up, even though Soeun knew what she wanted to do, she let the words of others cloud her judgment at times. We discuss this and her journey in rediscovering herself and her heritage in her 40s. She’s gotten to a point in her career where she’s content and doesn’t know what her next move is, and we talk about navigating this.  Soeun has over two decades of experience in administrative colleg...

Khmer Voices shines a spotlight on the achievements of the Khmer diaspora around the world. We chat with inspiring guests who are achieving success in their fields. From entrepreneurs and artists to community leaders and techies, we’ll explore their paths to success and the unique challenges they’ve overcome.  Representation matters! And through these conversations, I aim to amplify the voices of...

Thea Em shares her journey from being a refugee in Canada to becoming a nurse. While she was studying, she was involved in a serious car accident that left her in a coma and affected her memory. She faced other hurdles on top of these, and she shares how she got through them in this episode.  ------------ Khmer Voices Live in Hamilton July 5, 2026 https://www.vannyw.com/events Hosting an event in...

In this episode, Marpheen Chann shares his personal story of growing up in rural Maine, US which includes foster care and being adopted by a religious white working class family, the trauma his family experienced as a result of the Khmer Rouge, and his journey of self-discovery and cultural reconnection. Marpheen Chann works in the nonprofit and advocacy sector as Executive Director and Founder of...